San Diego Festival &gt; of Beer

Any festival nearing its 20th anniversary has seen some changes. But as the San Diego Festival of Beer prepares for its 19th annual appearance, its stability is striking.

There’s the staff. “The same people have been there almost from the beginning,” said Carri Chandler, referring to the 600-plus volunteers who set up, pour brews and clean up.

The locale. “Our first year was the Embarcadero North, for a Saturday day event in 1994,” said Rachel Cano. “We skipped ’95, then in ’96 we moved to Columbia and B, downtown. That’s where we still are.”

Now, consider all that’s changing: the staff, the locale and the beers.

The aforementioned Carri Chandler? She’s in her first year as president of the festival’s host, the San Diego Professionals Against Cancer.

The location anchored by Columbia and B? This is its last hurrah, as construction downtown is expected to devour much of the space.

The beers? Several breweries will make their Festival of Beer debuts this month, including Solana Beach’s Culture, BNS from Santee, Paso Robles’ BarrelHouse and Roseville, the latter from the Placer County town of the same name.

In a region bloated with beer festivals, this is the oldest. Talk to the organizers, though, and they’ll insist this party’s appeal lies in its goals rather than its longevity.

“This is the only festival that is organized 100 percent by volunteers,” said Cano, a deputy district attorney, “and 100 percent of our proceeds go to cancer research. You’re drinking for a good cause.”

In its first 18 years, this festival has raised $550,000-plus for cancer research and treatment. Recently, it donated a medicine refrigerator to the cancer wing of Rady Children’s Hospital.

Good cause. Good beer. Good grief, what’s this other stuff?

“I go for the sweeter beers and the ciders,” said president Chandler, when asked what she’ll look for at the fest. “And we do have Julian Cider coming.”